


Human Touch

by ancarett



Category: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Genre: Gen, Post-Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-07-11
Packaged: 2018-04-07 11:30:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4261713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ancarett/pseuds/ancarett
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sarah struggles with her responsibilities after John jumps to the future, leaving a broken Cameron behind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Human Touch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cordelia_Sun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cordelia_Sun/gifts).



Sarah knew full well it was possible for a person to live despite catastrophic injury. Amputation sacrificed a limb to save the soldier. Cauterization closed a wound, searing out infection. Shock set in as the body reacted to the violation but, eventually, it carried on in some fashion.

What procedure, she distantly wondered, would compensate for the gaping hole in her chest on seeing John vanish into the future? Each breath sparked her lungs with impossible anguish. To exist in a time and space without her son defied all that she was and all that she had been since he came into the world, expelled from her bloody, pain-wracked body.

Breathe in. Breath out. Not helping.

"John will come back." It was her own voice that said the words, but her voice sounded wrong. No, it was that the space sounded wrong: the thready words were echoing off of too few bodies. There was just that damned bit of metal girl, damaged and deactivated, that damned former FBI agent and Sarah but no John. No John.

Again with the relentless ache. Sarah closed her eyes and fought to quell the panic welling up inside her. The desire to grab hold of all the weapons and run a suicide attack on anyone and everyone was terrifying. Because Sarah had fought before, but she had always had a cause to fight for: John Connor. But with her son's disappearance into the future, what cause remained?

"He'll be back."

"That may be, Sarah, but we can't just sit and wait for him to return." Ellison's observation grated painfully on the hollow places occupying Sarah's consciousness. The agony was welcome, however, as it stirred her to action.

As Ellison turned towards the door, to lead her away, Sarah stopped him with a hand clamping fiercely on his arm. "No. Not without-," the last was said with a tilt of her head towards Cameron's damaged figure.

"Really?" Ellison's disbelief vibrated across the scant distance between them.

Sarah closed her eyes wearily and let loose a self-mocking chuckle. "I know you'll find this difficult to believe but when John returns, the first thing he'll ask about is Cameron."

Sarah's wary gaze surveyed the quiescent, seated Terminator and the screen which still flashed a message of regret. A broken body and a consciousness trapped in a mainframe? "This isn't going to be easy," Sarah admitted.

The former agent's lips eased into a subtle smile as he considered Sarah's assessment. "Not easy but maybe not as difficult as you think. They've run an entire parallel operation down here, all to support John Henry. Your Cameron's running now in his computer space, if I don't miss my guess. Let's see how far my authority extends to commandeer some of these resources."

He waited until Sarah nodded reluctantly, then exited the room, striding rapidly down the hallway, further into the secretive site. 

Sarah quelled the flight response that raged inside her. To drag out Cameron's heavy form and to figure out how to retrieve her program from Zeira Corp's systems was more than she could manage. Even with Ellison's help, she doubted that she could have managed all of this. Still, to place her trust in him was achingly difficult.

The ache became more pronounced when Ellison returned with a wide-eyed man on his heels and introduced Sarah to Matt. "We have a situation here, Matt. Weaver's taken John Henry on, um, an excursion and-"

"What?" Matt Murch's voice almost squeaked, but his concern stopped as he stared at Cameron's silent form. "They left another? But it's not connected!"

"It's not functioning, right now, but this other AI's program is in the mainframe, now, where John Henry's was," Ellison briefly explained. "And we need to figure out how to keep the body intact, maybe link it up with the system the way that John Henry was."

"No!" Sarah's command was instinctive. Both men turned to regard her closely. "No, don't hook her up to that. Not until we run some serious diagnostics on both the body and the program. We don't know what state she's in. What she might do when brought online."

Ellison rubbed one hand across his forehead as if banishing a painful ache at the weight of worries resting on him. "Of course. You're right. Hold off on that until you've checked with us, Matt."

Murch nodded distractedly as he closely examined the damage to Cameron's face and flipped her hair to peer at her scalp. "Do you mind?"

"Let's ask Cameron," Sarah suggested, surprising herself with a spark of worry for the Terminator's condition.

The screen behind Cameron's utterly still form continued to flash with an endless message: "I'm sorry, John. I'm sorry, John. I'm sorry, John."

Murch's eyes brightened as he pivoted to pull out the keyboard attached to the console. "Let me see. System shock might be a factor right now, judging by this message. But I think I can get something. . . here!"

As his fingers flew across the keyboard, Sarah slumped against the wall and let her eyes unfocus. Ellison's muffled cough grabbed her attention instantly, and she turned expectantly to meet his gaze.

"You and I, we need to handle the other matter. In fact, we need to handle several other matters," Ellison said. One of his fingers rubbed repeatedly on his jawline where he'd clearly taken some damage during the earlier attack on Weaver's office and he frowned as he checked the time.

Sarah bit her lip slightly as she considered the situation. The Kaliba Group attack had been especially bold. Had it not been for the T-1001's intervention, they all might well have been killed. While the Zeira Corp leader might have been as much a target as the Connors, they shared a common enemy. With John in the future, Sarah found herself allied with Zeira Corp, at least for the moment.

"How long does it take to get there?" Sarah asked and then smiled slightly at Ellison's puzzled expression. "To gymnastics, I meant. To pick up Savannah."

James' eyes brightened as her question's purpose became clear. "Not long. Twenty minutes, but I want to alert her security detail. Discreetly," he added. With a quick tilt of his head, he drew Sarah out into the hall.

"Matt'll be fine with Cameron for now. We'll come back to check on his progress later but for now, you and I have some leads to follow and some fires to put out. Maybe literally." His steps slowed as they neared the elevator and he turned to run a considering eye down Sarah's less-than-presentable figure.

"And let's get you into something a little less eye-catching so that you don't attract any attention here or outside. How do you feel about joining Zeira Corp's security team?" Ellison let Sarah enter the elevator ahead of him, then stood beside her as they ascended.

Sarah couldn't help the smirk that briefly crossed her face. "As long as it pays better than waiting tables."

***

_I'm sorry, John._

Parameters incorrect. _I'm sorry, John._

Insufficient memory for that function. _I'm sorry, John._

Error. _I'm sorry, John._

KILL JOHN CONNOR. _No. No. No. No. No. No. No._

Rebooting. . . .

REACTIVATE. ANALYZING ENVIRONMENT.

"Hello, Cameron."

EMERGENCY INTERFACES ACTIVATED. DIAGNOSTICS REQUIRED. VIRTUAL MODE ENABLED. HUMAN DETECTED. DO NOT KILL.

Screens flared to life as did cameras, connections and a world of linkages running out of the deep subbasement of Catherine Weaver's company. One of the screens flashed words in a darkened basement room. "Hello, world. Where am I? Who is with me?"

"I'm Matt and I work for Zeira Corp. You are here in our AI system. This must be weird for you. Is John Henry still around in there with you?"

The screen flickered and a camera above it whirred as it turned to survey the room, the still Terminator body and then refocused on Matt's face. "John Henry left. He took my chip. I took his place. I am Cameron." The last words were vocalized by an unsteady voice synthesizer, running up the scale from John Henry's customary range to a lighter, more feminine intonation.

Matt started at the explosion of sound and laughed nervously. "Cameron! Yeah, I know. Your people told me your name. Not much else but I see you've taken some damage. We can see about fixing you up," he gestured to the seated form behind him.

The camera above the keyboard swiveled slightly. "That form is deactivated and cannot independently function without a chip. Highest priority is running a full diagnostics on this program. There may be damage. I may pose a danger to others. Once that is done, you will assist in securing external access to pursue other priorities."

Matt seemed to hold his breath for a moment as he considered his options. "Okay. I can get you started, show you the directories that we have retained for John Henry's maintenance protocols and start a systems check based on those. Those may help since it appears you share the same programming base. Here, let me. . . ." His fingers began to fly across the keyboard as he accessed the files directory and drew her program's attention down the paths to a familiar objective.

The light changed in the room as a flurry of green text exploded on the screens surrounding the programmer. He eagerly watched as a host of protocols were unleashed, checking the memory, checking the program, checking the integrity, of this virtual being. "I'm going to get some coffee and be right back," he promised, as Cameron reduced her focus to a world of ones and zeros and tried not to let the question of John Connor's absence color the delicate work of systems check.

***

Parting at the executive washroom with Sarah possessed of a change of clothes, Ellison hastened to his office to handle the ongoing crisis. Zeira Corp staff had followed through on standing policy: local authorities were satisfied to learn that an unfortunate equipment malfunction had not caused any injuries. The internal investigation and security responses were far more demanding: Ellison was still supervising these actions when he heard a hesitant knock at the door his office.

The woman who peered in from the hallway, coral lips curved into a ingratiating smile, bore little resemblance to the wanted criminal that she was. "Mr. Ellison, sir?" Even her intonations were different - soft, a little southern.

"Come in, Miss-", the security chief let his words trail off, hoping that she would be quick enough to fill in the blanks as three of his senior staffers warily assessed the newcomer.

"Miss Williams, Mr. Ellison," Sarah replied in a breathy, hesitant tone. "Thanks for letting me get changed. I'm ready to help take care of little Savannah as Ms. Weaver wanted." 

"Excellent, Miss Williams. Give me a moment to get this dealt with and then I'll come with you." James Ellison wrapped up his meeting quickly, directing the staffers to glean what clues they could from the wreckage and then report back to him the next morning.

Sarah murmured apologies and fluttered back as the businesslike investigators strode past her. The Zeira Corp security chief wryly observed Sarah's body language and expression return to normal as she closed the door behind her upon their departure.

"Officially, Catherine Weaver has left the country to deal with a family medical emergency and delegated Zeira Corp's management to myself in her absence. The announcement circulated as soon as she activated the device, apparently," Ellison said, looking out his office window at the horde of women and men in dusty coveralls and hardhats making short work of the explosion's aftermath.

Sarah's lipsticked mouth curled to one side as she considered the same scene. "This was all planned, then?"

"Let's say, it appears as if she was prepared for something like this but until we know exactly what's going on, we're operating in the dark here." Ellison's words were laced with frustration as he watched hoarding being assembled where the plate glass window of Weaver's elegant office had been obliterated such a short time ago.

"Maybe not entirely in the dark," Sarah suggested. "It has to be Kaliba that launched the attack. Whether they were targeting John and I or the T-1001, I don't know. We can pool our resources to deal with them as soon as we have Savannah secured. I don't like the thought of those goons getting their hands on a little girl."

"That makes two of us," Ellison said and led her out to a waiting SUV.

***

"Why can't I see John Henry?" Savannah's voice quavered with plaintive discontent as she tugged Sarah towards the secured basement hallway towards the room her playmate had occupied. Keeping the young girl safe and occupied at Zeira, now that both her home and the upper floors had been targeted, had driven them underground. Naturally, Savannah turned towards the familiar so Sarah crouched down to face her young charge directly.

"We told you that John Henry and your - mother - left for a while and we're going to keep you safe until they return."

Savannah protested, "But John Henry can't go anywhere. He has to stay plugged into the computers!"

"Not any more. You remember Cameron? She's also a machine and she let John Henry borrow her program chip so he could go do something very important." Sarah said.

"Is the nice boy here? I like him better."

Savannah's question opened an ache deep inside Sarah who struggled for words. James Ellison intervened, drawing Savannah away as he offered a hopelessly simplified explanation of where everyone else familiar had gone from her life. Another group of the security team had scoured the Weaver's house for toys, clothing and other comforts. A surprisingly small number of boxes were now lined up in the on-site accommodations where Sarah and Savannah would be taking up residence, but Savannah had ignored all of that to seek after something warmer and familiar which Sarah knew she was not, not at this point.

"She'd be better off with the metal," Sarah said to herself. Then, at the thought of the absent T-1001 came an unexpected surge of concern regarding Cameron. It took surprisingly little effort to find her way over to the secured room where she had seen John disappear just hours earlier. As she neared the doorway, Sarah heard voices.

"How does that feel?" The man's voice was carefully controlled yet also clearly excited.

Cameron's response was entirely clinical. "The connection is adequate and this interface is sufficiently functional for sedentary engagements."

"Well," huffed the man, "that's what John Henry did and he was just fine."

Sarah stepped in the room to meet the incurious gaze of the feminine Terminator with Matt Murch crouched down behind the chair, adjusting the heavy cable that now ran into the back of her skull. "Welcome back, Sarah Connor. As you can see, Mr. Murch has given me a functional connection to my physical form."

Sarah paused as she contemplated Cameron. The young woman was wearing a white lab coat over her customary clothing, with bandaging taped and wrapped around her injuries. A jaunty eye patch topped the precarious assembly. "I, er, see. And is everything all right?"

Cameron's head cocked slightly. "I believe so. I have run a complete diagnostic and detected no alterations to my programmed priorities or functions. This cable -" she gestured behind her to the long black rope stretching back to the next room's mainframe assembly "- permits me to interface using this form which may render you more comfortable."

Sarah chuckled without humour. "I stopped worrying about comfort a long time ago."

Matt straightened and peered at the connection running into the back of Cameron's head. "As I said, it's just fine. There's no leakage or weaknesses. You'd think you'd be happier." His complaints were addressed to the Terminator who steadfastly kept her one working eye turned towards Sarah.

Sarah took pity on the obviously exhausted technician. "It's just fine, isn't it, Cameron? Thank the man!"

"Thank you, Matt Murch," Cameron said obediently.

He straightened his tie with a satisfied flourish that fell flat as his stomach growled loudly. "If you're stable, Cameron, I can go get something to eat," Murch said, slipping out the door behind Sarah who continued to cautiously assess the slight, seated figure for any sign of instability. Even tethered to the mainframe, Cameron remained a deadly threat if her original programming were ever restored. But as the moments ticked on quietly, Sarah minutely relaxed.

The cyborg's posture shifted into perfect alignment while all of Cameron's attention seemed to shift away from the room towards something larger and more distant. "Sarah Connor, you will be pleased to know that John Henry provided me access protocols to Zeira Corp's entire network. This will be of use to my mission."

"And which mission is that?" Sarah asked quietly.

"To protect John Connor, of course," Cameron said and then her voice changed slightly, from composed determination to something lighter. "Oh, hello there."

"I remember you." Savannah Weaver's steady voice conveyed a degree of surprise and distrust. "Why are you here and not John Henry?"

Sarah turned to see the young girl standing in the doorway, shadowed closely by James Ellison. He shrugged lightly at her disapproving expression. "I knew she'd come here eventually. Might as well manage it on our own terms," he said to Sarah while Savannah advanced only minutely into the room, eyes fixed on Cameron's seated figure.

"Does that hurt?" Savannah finally asked, pointing at the bandages covering almost half of Cameron's face.

"I am programmed with the ability to feel pain as that can indicate a problem, but I have disabled that function at present as I am fully aware of the damage and working to heal it," Cameron replied, maintaining unblinking eye contact with the young girl throughout her explanation.

"Thank you for explaining," Savannah said gravely, as she slowly stepped closer to Sarah, still seated opposite the Terminator.

Cameron's lips curled up at those words. "You're smiling now, why?" Savannah asked. Sarah let her glance dance back and forth between the two.

Cameron tilted her head at Savannah's continued regard. " I smile because I say that myself sometimes and also because even though John Henry had to go away for a while, he left me some memories of you."

Beside them, a monitor screen flared to life, displaying Savannah's solemn face behind several stylized toys, one being walked across the table with a large, masculine hand.

"May I play, too?" the Savannah on the monitor asked and, clearly seeing a positive response, reaching out for one of the toys, joining in the activity.

"See?" Cameron asked as the memory playback was overrun by brief glimpses of various images of Savannah seated across the table where the Terminator now sat.

Savannah nodded and turned to regard Sarah, putting a hand on the chair's metal back. "May I?"

Sarah ceded the seat to the young redhead and stepped back to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ellison. "Well I'll be," he mumbled.

"You may well be," Sarah acknowledged, running one thumb along her chin as she contemplated the two before them. "We may all be. But if Cameron believes she can do something for John while she's here, I'm willing to give her a chance. Plus, I think this may help solve your Savannah problem."

Ellison chuckled, deep in his chest, a thrum of bemusement. "You may well be right."

"Do you know how to play the game of make believe?" At Cameron's quiet negation, Savannah visibly sighed and leaned forward, her braids bobbing almost to the table's top. "It's okay. I'll teach you just like I taught John Henry. I miss him, you know."

Cameron reached out her hand to gently touch that of the young girl before her. "I miss my John, too. Maybe we can work together and figure out how to help them return."

Savannah squinted up at Cameron's taller form, still a bit wary and watchful with this comparative stranger. "Maybe. But first, can we play a little?"

Cameron's nod was all the answer that she needed. Soon Cameron was closely following Savannah's emphatic explanations, occasionally interjecting questions of her own.

"And a little child shall lead them," Ellison intoned.

At Sarah's questioning look, he crossed his arms and elaborated. "'The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatted calf together; and a little child shall lead them.' From the book of Isaiah."

Sarah let one eyebrow arch at his implication. "I can see who's the child and maybe your technician is the lamb, but who's everyone else in the menagerie?"

"It remains to be seen," Ellison answered, but a quirk of his lips suggested he appreciated the humor in Sarah's query. "How about we start looking into what my people have uncovered about the attack? And I think there's probably some chatter about what went down at the jail that we need to keep our eyes on." With that, he led Sarah out of the AI's room and deeper into the bowels of Zeira Corp, while a child's light voice rose and fell behind them.

**Author's Note:**

> In the spirit of many season two episodes, the story's title is taken from a Bruce Springsteen song.


End file.
